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News & CD Review

AFI Movie Song Honors

June 2004

The American Film Institute honored four of Barbra Streisand's  performances as part of its Best 100 Movie Songs of All Time. Barbra tied with Judy Garland as the only artists to have four performances included on the list. Barbra was one of the celebrity hosts on the June 22, 2004 AFI prime time special on CBS, during which the top secret list was unveiled for the very first time. Barbra provided personal commentary on each of her performances (and discussed Marlon Brando's rendition of "Luck Be A Lady" from "Guys and Dolls") as their placements on the list were disclosed. See the complete AFI list.

Barbra Comments on Her AFI Honored Performances

The Way We Were - #8   "I just started to hum. I hum a lot. I think I hum a lot on my songs. Sometimes we think we're going to cut it out, and then the people like the humming, so it stays."

People - #13   "When I first heard the song 'People', I said to Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, 'Shouldn't it be People who don't need people are the luckiest people in the world?'  But, if you can be vulnerable enough to need people, you're open to more love in your life."

Evergreen - #16   "I wanted to do it live. I wanted to design a shot that was all in one take. And as the camera just moves in a semi-circle, you'll see everything you have to see...You can't get performances that are really real if you're lip-synching, or else there's no spontaneity in the moment."

Don't Rain On My Parade - #46   "The first day of shooting was in the train station in New Jersey, so it was this number, 'Don't Rain On My Parade.'  It was so well conceived, in fact, it was a pleasure to perform, even though I had to lip-synch."